Siege of Tsingtao

The siege of Tsingtao was a major conflict between the German Empire and Japan that happened in Shandong. This conflict was part of World War I ("WW1"). It started in August 1914, and ended in November 1914. Over 3,000 Germans were captured, and hundreds of Germans were killed. Japan lost more than 500 soldiers.

Japan decided to enter into WW1 to assist the British Empire, based on the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902). The British (1000+ soldiers) and the French helped Japan in this conflict. The Chinese helped neither side. The foreign minister of China - Sun Baoqi's policy was to remain neutral in this conflict.

Before WW1, the Germans controlled "treaty ports" and territories in China. On the Japanese side, they were a naval super-power and had conquered Korea 4 years earlier.

During this conflict, the civilian sufferings included robbery, death penalty (mainly to speed up the advancement of troops of Japan) and rape of Chinese women. Also, the Germans treated the Chinese badly too, as the Germans lacked supplies.^{[1] [2] [3]}

The Germans were well prepared (had built many fortifications) but lost. The Japanese were organized and well equipped. The Japanese army had 23,000 soldiers. They outnumbered the Germans and took control of the city of Qingdao.

The big picture is that, in China, the German colonial power came to an end. Years later, the Japanese army reluctantly agreed to leave Shandong (Japan signed the 9 Power Treaty in 1922).